Creating Tests¶

This section provides a detailed guide on creating and configuring A/B tests with BoastPress AB Testing.

Planning Your Test¶

Before creating a test, it's important to:

1. Define your goal: What are you trying to improve? (e.g., click-through rate, form submissions, purchases)
2. Form a hypothesis: What change do you think will improve performance and why?
3. Determine what to test: Which element(s) will you modify? (e.g., headline, button color, image)
4. Decide on variations: How many variations will you test? What will each variation look like?

Creating a New Test¶

Step 1: Access the Test Creation Page¶

1. In your WordPress admin, navigate to A/B Tests > Add New
2. You'll see the "Add New Test" form with several configuration options

Step 2: Configure Basic Test Settings¶

Fill in the following information:

Test Name¶

Enter a descriptive name for your test. This name is for your reference only and won't be visible to users.

Best practices for test naming: - Include the page or element being tested - Include the test objective - Use a date or version number for sequential tests

Examples: - "Homepage Hero - CTA Button Color" - "Checkout Form - Field Order" - "Product Page - Price Display"

Conversion Page¶

Enter the URL path where conversions will be tracked. This is typically a "thank you" page, checkout confirmation page, or any page that indicates a successful conversion.

• Enter only the path portion of the URL (e.g., /thank-you/ or /checkout/confirmation/)
• Leave blank if you're not tracking conversions for this test or if you'll use custom conversion tracking

Step 3: Configure Test Mode¶

Choose between "Impression" or "Session" as your test mode:

Impression-Based Testing¶

• Users may see different variations on each page load
• Useful for testing elements that don't require consistency across multiple pages
• Provides faster data collection

Session-Based Testing¶

• Users see the same variation throughout their session
• Useful for testing elements that should remain consistent throughout a user's visit
• Provides better user experience for certain types of tests

If you select "Session-based", you'll need to set the Session Duration: - Enter the number of hours a user should remain in the same test group - Default is 24 hours (1 day) - Longer durations provide more consistent user experiences but may slow data collection

Step 4: Configure Advanced Settings¶

Version Assignment Mode¶

Choose between "Random" or "Bucket-based":

• Random: Users are randomly assigned to variations (default)
• Bucket-based: Users are assigned based on bucket rules (requires setting up buckets)

AJAX Mode¶

Enable or disable AJAX content delivery:

• Enabled: Test content is loaded after the page has rendered (compatible with caching)
• Disabled: Test content is generated when the page is loaded (faster, but not cache-compatible)

If AJAX Mode is enabled, set the Initial Content: - Send Default Version: The default version is shown initially - Send Empty Container: An empty container is shown initially

Step 5: Save the Test¶

Click the Create Test button to save your test configuration. You'll be redirected to the test edit page where you can add variations.

Adding Test Variations¶

After creating the test, you need to add at least two variations:

Creating the Control Version (Version A)¶

1. On the test edit page, locate the "Versions" section
2. Click the Add Version button
3. Enter a name for the version (e.g., "Control" or "Original")
4. In the content editor, add the original content you want to test
5. This can include text, images, HTML, shortcodes, etc.
6. Check the "Set as Default" option
7. The default version is shown when the test is paused or when a user doesn't qualify for the test
8. Click Save Version

Creating Variant Versions (Version B, C, etc.)¶

1. Click Add Version again
2. Enter a name for the variant (e.g., "Variant B" or "New Headline")
3. In the content editor, add the alternative content
4. Leave "Set as Default" unchecked (unless you want this to be the default)
5. Click Save Version

Repeat this process to add additional variants if needed.

Tips for Creating Effective Variations¶

• Make meaningful changes: Ensure variations are different enough to potentially impact user behavior
• Test one element at a time: For clearer results, change only one element between variations
• Keep variations consistent: Maintain the same overall structure and functionality
• Consider mobile users: Ensure variations work well on all device sizes
• Preview your variations: Use the preview function to see how variations will appear

Assigning Buckets (for Bucket-based Tests)¶

If you selected "Bucket-based" as your version assignment mode:

1. First, create buckets in A/B Tests > Bucket Rules
2. For each version, click the Edit button
3. In the "Bucket Assignment" dropdown, select a bucket
4. Click Save Version

See the Advanced Topics section for more information on creating and managing buckets.

Activating the Test¶

Once you've added all your variations:

1. In the test edit page, locate the "Test Status" section
2. Select "Active" from the status dropdown
3. Click Update Test

Your test is now active and will start showing different variations to users based on your configuration.

Implementing the Test on Your Website¶

To display the test on your website, you need to add a shortcode to the appropriate location:

1. Copy the shortcode displayed in the test edit page (e.g., [ab_test test="123"])
2. Edit the page or post where you want the test to appear
3. Paste the shortcode at the exact location where the test content should be displayed
4. Update the page or post

The shortcode will be replaced with the appropriate test variation when users view the page.

Editing Existing Tests¶

To edit an existing test:

1. Navigate to A/B Tests in your WordPress admin
2. Find the test you want to edit
3. Click the "Edit" link under the Actions column
4. Make your changes to the test settings or versions
5. Click "Update Test" to save your changes

If AJAX Mode is enabled, you can also update the Initial Content setting:

• Send Default Version: The default version is shown initially
• Send Empty Container: An empty container is shown initially

Test Status Management¶

A test can have one of four statuses:

• Active: The test is running and collecting data
• Paused: The test is temporarily stopped but can be resumed
• Archived: The test is permanently stopped

To change a test's status:

1. Navigate to the test edit page
2. In the "Test Status" section, select the desired status from the dropdown
3. Click "Update Test"

Next Steps¶

After creating and activating your test, you'll want to:

1. Make data-driven decisions based on the test outcomes
2. Implement the winning variation permanently or create follow-up tests